Biomed Anyone?

[kjack]

I want to give an unbiased account of the transfer scheme so here goes. It is true that there is a transfer scheme that biomeds at georges can apply to. However there are some conditions such as you need an average grade over the first 2 years of 65% and then to get a 2:1 at the end of your dregree. You also have to do an interview like the one to get into medicine 5 yr. Since the biomed course is so close to the medic course at georges the only thing you need to catch up on is the clinical skills and communication bit. This is done over the 3rd year for those that get accepted onto the transfer in addition to other modules you take in the third year. There were 7 people who applied last year and all 7 were accepted.

[Gizmo says -]

why did only 7 apply?
the whole 50+ intake wanted the transfer, not just 7.
i'm pretty sure that more than 7 made 65%

you've neglected some details.

[kjack]

not everyone in the 60 people from my year wants to be a medic, in fact by the end of the 2nd year which is the time that you would apply many people had changed their minds on a career in medicine. Also it is a hard course and whilst 65% may seem not a lot to schoolleavers it is actually very hard to achieve. The average mark ( for my year not sure bout others tho I think its similar) was about 50% for the 1st two years, so 15% above average is pretty good.

[Gizmo says -]

so its actually very difficult to transfer then, getting 65% in two years. it would be MUCH easier to resit A lvls and get AAA, seeing as you've already probably got close to that at one attempt and know the A lvl stuff pretty well already.

One more fing, Kjack - I find it INCREDIBLE that you're telling me not almost everyone in the year wanted the transfer.
I really cant believe that anyone would go to sgul just to do biomed when they could get a uni expeience fuller elsewhere at ANY other university. In all the sgul biomed years i've met pretty much every bio wanted to transfer, they talked about two or three not wanting it.

Furthermore if these ones who changed their minds decided against medicine once they were at uni, seems to me it defeated their original sole object of going to sgul - to mek the transfer into medicine. They'd made the wrong decision.

[kjack]

Firstly, not many medical schools accept resit candidates. Secondly, sgul has one of the best biomed courses in the uk and the experience there is very full. Even those who dont get the transfer course but still want to do medicine find the course to be exceptionally useful in a further medical degree. Thirdly yes I am telling you that there are some people who want to be biomeds on application and also those that change their mind. I dont think you understand the biomed course. Many school leavers arrive thinking that the biomeds are all failed medics and are not clever enough to be a medic, this soon changes as they see the biomeds doing exactly the same stuff as them plus more.

[Gizmo says -]

Originally Posted by kjack

Firstly, not many medical schools accept resit candidates. Secondly, sgul has one of the best biomed courses in the uk and the experience there is very full. Even those who dont get the transfer course but still want to do medicine find the course to be exceptionally useful in a further medical degree. Thirdly yes I am telling you that there are some people who want to be biomeds on application and also those that change their mind.

i am sure there are those who change their minds. Observing some of the wankers who get into med skool must be one of the most off putting things to see, and there are those of course who simply didnt look close enough in the first place.
i know that the sgul course teks you nearer to qualifying a a biomed than some other biomed courses, and in that respect its good.
In many other respects its not good, and i dont believe for a second that at least 90% of the biomed make-up dont accept their place wiffout the sole aim of gunning a transfer spot. 7 out of 50 is pretty crummy odds compared to the 1 to 2 for getting into med skool.

I dont think you understand the biomed course. Many school leavers arrive thinking that the biomeds are all failed medics and are not clever enough to be a medic, this soon changes as they see the biomeds doing exactly the same stuff as them plus more.

its my understanding that the biomeds are generally better candidates on the whole than the medics at sgul, they simply didnt go to as good schools or had poorer resources. so i fink you will find i dont 'ave the misconception you pointed out.

[JH]

Gizmo lay off it will ya?

There are people who wish to attempt a transfer and there are those who don't surprisingly. So, using this year's statistics for example, 7 people were offered a transfer out of a number a lot less than 50.

Yeah sure not everyone get into medschool is perfect and some may seem like wankers but then again not everyone who disagree with the biomed course is perfect either.

There is one valid point however. Unless one's heart is set in science, specifically biomed & lab related, then the degree may not offer as much flexibility in terms of prospective occupations. Though, that's not to say it's not a strong academic degree.

If people have considered such pro's and con's then they're very deserving of the biomed degree they take up.

[x.Parin.x]

so would u say that it was easier for a resit candidate to get into med or a graduate? alot of people who hav been through the whole grad entry procedure have said that after the 3 year degree they felt alot more equipped for medicine, and that they actually didnt find medicine as hard as many undergraduates.. surely this is good? i am surprised only 7 people out of 50 actually applied, normally not that many people would apply for biomed unless they do want to transfer, im not sure how brilliant the jobs u can get after the degree are.. :S i see it this way, if you have the commitment to do medicine, im sure u can make it happen, however big or small the odds..

[Gizmo says -]

the points i made are extremely valid, and i shouldnt be forced to lay off it just becos it 'urts peeple's feelings, dont you agree? its a sgul fread, not an sgul monopoly on fort. please, guys, mek sense. this isnt your £30,000 and 3 years life we talking about, its Parin's so its very easy for you to defer responsibility for his decision. if you're laying out some suggestions then fine but no idont fink i should quit just becos i make the most sense.

it is very difficult to make the transfer into the 3rd year, and the shit you will ave to put up wif to get is imcomparable to getting into med skool.

yes, its easier for a resit to get into 5 year than a grad onto grad entry.
Obv at point of entry, its easier for a suitable grad to get into some 5 year courses than an A lvl applicant. But you need to consider that overall it is much arder, given the that you put in 3 years of lifetime, £30,000 in debt and start your chosen career 3 years later. NOt to metion the effort neeeded studying a lot of stuff you dont want to do, just to get a 2.1 or a 1st degree. Thats 'arder than A lvls by some degree. Much less at the institution that you wouldnt study at unless you really had to.

Getting into uni isnt a be all and end all this year, even though your peers and school want you to fink that. Your correct choice of career and the best route to that career are.

[JH]

There is another option to reapplying after resitting or the biomed course. That is to study another degree and apply for medicine again afterwards. This would give you the opportunity to re-evaluate the desire to study medicine. Yet, it would still leave a back door open for you to pursue something else.

I would agree that post grads may find studying a little more comfortable but not necessarily easier. They've been through the experience of university and understand it more, hence more prepared to work. But of course, they would have had to start medicine at least 3 years later

The issue I see is that on the one hand resitting may improve your chance of entry at undergraduate level but then again it limits your choice of universities. Academics aside, the extra year out may be an enlightening experience. The 'forced' gap year can be advantageous, providing you spend it well, because you can appreciate your reasons to apply for medicine beyond the usual "I want to save lives".

The other is doing the biomed course, which does offer slightly better odds to get into medicine because you would apply for the transfer as well as for other post-grad places. However, I fear it can demoralise some people from doing medicine. To the really committed that does not matter. The problem is if you stand on uncertain grounds and may not find out until you begin the course.

I understand the situation you're in because I was in a similar position myself. I think it is good you are considering your options. Good luck with your decision anyway.
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Gizmo - yes your replies makes grammatic sense, but that's about it.